Rick Schenker, president of Ratio Christi, a grassroots campus student ministry, is urging all pastors, parents and students to see the movie God’s Not Dead which premiered Friday, March 21. According to Schenker, this movie capsulized the pressure Christian students face to renounce their convictions in a largely secular humanistic environment hostile to a biblical worldview.
Unlike the film character “Josh,” a Christian student who stands up for his faith with reasoned evidence, research shows that the majority of Christian youth will walk away from their faith once in college.
Josh is an example of the type of student Ratio Christi (Latin for ‘Reason of Christ’) trains. When challenged by his atheist professor, he presents scientific, historical and philosophical evidence that make solid arguments for the existence of God. In the movie, Josh had to do this on his own.
See the movie trailer here:
Schenker says, “Ratio Christi chapters hold regular meetings where students and faculty can wrestle with ideas relating to the intellectual credibility of Christianity by encouraging dialogue and stimulating discussion. Josh would not have had to go it alone if there had been a Ratio Christi chapter on his campus.”
Ratio Christi knows firsthand what arguments Christian students encounter. The movement has grown from 10 to over 130 chapters in just three years. In the movie, Josh wanted students to decide for themselves what they believed about God’s existence and not be forced to believe what an atheist professor demanded of them.
Likewise, Schenker says, “By equipping Christian students, we believe many will not only hold onto a faith that they might otherwise abandon, but they will also begin to stand up for Christianity when it comes under fire at the university. The concept must be striking a nerve because we are growing faster than we ever imagined.”
The Ratio Christi logo; Image Courtesy of the Ratio Christi organization.
Schenker concludes, “This film is a wake-up call to parents and pastors to better prepare our youth. Ratio Christi is here to help by equipping students through our clubs and by assisting churches. We desire Christian students to be agents of change in the culture rather than being changed by it.”
Ratio Christi provides a safe and charitable venue for atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and adherents to any religion to investigate the claims of Christianity, discuss religious beliefs, and seek truth without fearing reprisal.
Learn more about the Ratio Christi organization at their Official Website
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